Cooling system



w. w; MUIR. COOLING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED DEC-24. I917.

Patented J uly 29, 1919.

I illustrated a cooling system MARYLAND.

COOLING SYSTEM. 7

Specification of.Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed December 24, 1917. Serial No. 208,578.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WELLINGTON W. MUIR, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling Systems, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a circulating system for cooling internalcombustion engines, particularly as applied to automobiles, using wateror some equivalent liquid as a heat vehicle and including a radiator, ajacket in the cylinder casting and means for passing the water throughthe jacket and radiator in turn whereby the excess heat taken from thecylinders is distributed through the airby means of the radiator.

In the majority of commercial'applications of the water cooling system,either a circulating pump which operates continuously andproportionately to the speed of the motor, or dependence for circulationis had upon the thermosiphon or gravity system according to which theexpansion of the specific gravity causes it to be displaced by the coolwater from the radiator. The fact that the temperature of the cylinderswhich gives most eflicient operation is a few degrees below boiling andthe disadvantages, particularly loss of efiiciency and difficulty instarting, incident to overcooling during the operation of the motorwhich occurs principally in cold weather, and overcooling duringstarting after a period of idleness long enough to cool the system andengine castings, are recognized by all operators.

The present invention relates to a cooling system of the general type inthat it use-s water as a heat vehicle, but new in that it permits verylittle actual cooling until approximately the temperature of maximumefficiency is reached.

The cooling which then takes place tends to-be proportionate to theexcess heat generated. This system also has the advantage that anyexcess size of radiator may be used without loss of the heat necessaryto the efficient operation of the engine. At the same time when the fullcapacity of the radiator is required, it may be .utilized to the fullestIn the accompanying drawing, I have embodying my invention in what is atpresent the preferred form. In the drawings,

extent as in the ordinary system.

there is heated water by reducing its Figure 1 is a rear view of theradiator, tanks, fan and so forth;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the part or combination of parts referred tohereinafter as the standpipe. I

Referring to'the drawings by numerals, the illustration includes thewater jacket 1 of a cylinder casting 2, a radiator 3 having an uppertank 4 or separator providing a considerable exposed surface for theescape of vapor or steam with an extension 5 shown as covering orhanging down over the rear of the radiator. This overhanging ordepending portion may be of any proportions from a mere passage toseveral gallons capacity. There is also a bottom radiator tank 10 towhich the lower ends of the radiator tubes are connected, a top radiatorconnection 11 leading from the water jacket near the top to the upperpart of the tank 4 and the lower connection 12 leading from the bottomtank 10 and lower part of the extension 5 of the tank 4 to the lowerpart of the water jacket and having therein a circulating means 18 shownin the form of a pump delivering toward the water jacket. Anycirculating means may be utilized. The bottom connection includes a pipeor passage 14 leading from the bottom tank 10 to the suction 15 of thepump and preferably terminating in a nozzle 16. As illustrated, thispassage 14 is preferably provided with a valve seat 17 with which anon-return valve 18, shown in the form of a ball valve, cooperates, thesame opening in the direction of the pump delivery, '5. e., toward thebottom of the water j acket. The depending portion 5 of the tank 4 has afunnel-shaped opening 6, the forward end 7 of the funnel being equal insize and conforming to the portion of the rear side of the radiatorcovered by the tank and the rear end .8' of the funnel beingsubstantially circular and preferably about the diameter of the fan 9.There is a distributer 20 in the form of a flat passage or chamberperforated at the bottom at 21 and of width substantially equal to thewidth from front to rear of the series of tubes. This distributercarrles a member, referred to herein as a standpipe, including anupright pipe 24, open at both ends and threaded or otherwise removablysecured to or into the top wall of the distributer 20 near the center sothat in the preferred form, the pipe 24 is in line with the fillernozzle 25,

This pipe 24 is inclosed within an outer casing 26 supported thereon.This casing has openings 27 at its bottom end above the top wall of thedistributer, leading from the water space in the tank into the casing atthe bottom. The casing also extends'above the pipe '24 leaving anopening 28 at the top into that pipe from the casing, and the casing ispartially closed at the top having perforations 29 near the top. It willthus be noted that the standpipe consists of a pipe'opening into thespace over the tubes extending up above the water level in the tankwhere it has openings into the air or steam space from whence it extendsbeneath the water having openings to admit the water. The circulationthrough the pipe is opposed to the order in which the parts have justbeen named, 71. e., from the tank into the radiator. As a specialprecaution, the filler cup 31 should be provided with a weighted orother suitable safety valve 32.

As a means for eliminating back pressure, air and steam locks and thelike, from the bottom tank 10, and to thus overcome these obstaclesagainst cooling in case of stoppage of the pump 13, either when theengine stopsor from other causes, I may in one form of my inventionprovide an overflow or vent 35 from the bottom tank 10 of the radiatorand to prevent the loss of water, particularly when the pump is idle, Ihave supplied this vent 35 with a reservoir 36 in the form of an uprightipe or tube of any suitable diameter; accor ing to the proportionsshown, it is from one and a half to two inches. This pipe in turn has anoutlet 37 with a weighted or other non-return valve 38 above'the waterlevel.

This valve 38 prevents the entrance of air and the formation of airlocks which would interfere with the operation of the condenser. Theoutlet 37 of the vent 35, while shown at the top of the radiator, may beat any convenient level high enough to prevent the escape of water. Asthe pump normally exhausts the condensed liquid from the bottom of theradiator and there is a nonreturn valve 18 to. prevent back-flow ofwater and to keep the radiator empty when the engine is idle, the levelof the vent may be very low without such loss of water.

In the normal operation of the system, when the engine is started cold,there is no circulator through the radiator. With no circulation throughthe radiator, very little heat is lost. In fact, the only heat given upfrom the entire system with the exception of what goes out with theexhaust, is that radiated from the jacket and from the tank 4 with itsdepending extension 5 and the pipes 11 and 12. The path of circulationor circuit of the liquidis from the pump 13 through the pipe orconnection 12 to the jacket land from the jacket 1 through the pipe orconnection 11 to the separator 4, from the separator tank 4 downwardthrough the rear extension 5, which may be either an extension or a pipeor passage as pointed out, line 70, page 1. From the bottom of thisextension or passage, it enters the suction of the pump 13. The suctionof the pump also serves to drain the condensed liquid from the bottomtank or'water chamber 10 of the condenser or radiator proper 3 whichnormally receives only vapor from above the liquid in the separator 4,and return the same to the circuit.

After starting with the system cold the Water in the jacket quicklyapproaches the critical temperature or temperature of maximum efficiencywhich, as already pointed out, is a few degrees below boiling. At thispoint the water at the top of the tank will reach the boilingtemperature or approach it closely enough to give off steam The steamgiven ofl escapes through the openings 28 and 29 into the standpipe,passes down through the radiator where it is condensed, the condensedwater being removed by the ejector action of the nozzle 15 in thesuction of the pump and delivered by the pump to the bottom of the waterjacket. The cooling thus effected is suflicient under ordinarycircumstances and serves to keep the cylinder walls. at or very close tothe temperature of maximum efficiency. When the vaporization in the tank4, particularly in warm weather, is greater than can be passed throughthe opening 29, under the circumstances a throttling action results, andthe vapor pressure acting on the surface of thewater outside the casing26 of the standpipe becomes greater than the pressure on the waterinside the standpipe. Under these circumstances, the water enters thecasing 26 through the apertures 27 in response to the excess pressure inthe tank and overflows into the pipe 24 being distributed throughout theradiator by the distributer 20, passing downward through the tubes 3with a resulting cooling effect in excess of that produced by the merecondensation. This may be made equal to the full capacity of theradiator if the proportions of the openings 27, 28 and the standpipe areso detennined.

At this point one of the important advantages of the system becomesapparent, that is, the radiator may be made of any desired capacity totake care of extreme conditions but such increase in the radiatingsurface will not affect adversely the operation of the engine undernormalconditions as the cooling will only be suflicient to keep thewater jacket about the critical te1nperature and when an excess of heatis generated, the full capacity of the radiator-or the capacity to coolwhatever quantity of water may be passed through the openings 27 at thebottom of the standpipe, will be utilized. It the car is to be takenfrom a cold or temperate to a tropical climate, or subjected tounusually trying conditions where the cooling produced by the atmosphereis at the minimum, the standpipe may be entirely removed by unscrewingat the threaded connection, and the tubes and entire radiator as well asthe tank filled with water. This adds about a gallon or a gallon and ahalf to the water content. If an oversized radiator is used, the coolingsystem is thus adapted to be changed at half a minutes notice from onesuitable to any cold climate to an arrangement adapted to the conditionsin the very hottest climate.

The vent 35 from the bottom tank 10 has been provided as a specialprecaution to prevent back-pressure, air locks, steam locks and the likein the bottom tank 10 on the stoppage of the pump 13 due to-stopping ofthe engine or other causes. The reservoir or pipe 36 it used may be ofan inch and a half to two inches capacity. It receives and retains anywater which may thus escape from the tank 10 and prevents consequentloss from the system. When the pump starts, this water is exhausted fromthe reservoir 36 and returned to circulation. At the top, the reservoir36 terminates in a valve seat 37 closed by a light weight nonreturnvalve 38 to prevent loss of water by splashing and the like and topermit escape of air and steam, and prevent the entrance of outside airthrough the vent. The water head in the radiator during running isnormally zero or practically zero and there is means in the pump suctionpreventing backfiow of water into the radiator when the engine is idleso that the discharge end of the vent may be at almost any convenientpoint. Its function is to prevent pressure at the lower part of thesystem, particularly on the condensed liquid led from the condenser orradiator to the circuit, and it should be so located as to avoid theloss of the liquid.

I have thus descrlbed my invention specifically and in detall in orderthat its nature and operation may be fully understood;

however, the specific terms herein are used descriptively rather than intheir limiting sense and the scope of the invention is defined in theclaims:

1. A cooling system for internal combustion engines consisting of aradiator, a water jacket, a tank extending from the top of the radiatorto a point near the bottom of the same, top and bottom connections fromthe tank to the water jacket, and from the bot-- tom of the radiator tothe water j acket,heatcontrolled means normally preventing the flow ofliquid through the top connection, permitting the flow of vapor andactuated by change of temperature above a certain point to admit liquidthrough said connection to the radiator, means for preventing back flowof liquid to the bottom of the radiator through the bottom connection.

2. A cooling system for internal combustion engines, consisting of aradiator, a water jacket, a tank extending from the top of the radiatorto a point near the bottom of the same, top and bottom connections fromthe tank to the water jacket, and from the bottom of the radiator to thewater jacket, and means in the bottom connection for causing circulationof the water upward through the jacket, heat-controlled means normallypreventing the flow of liquid through the top connection, permitting theflow of vapor and actuated by change of temperature above a certainpoint to admit liquid through said connection to the radiator, meanspreventing back flow of liquid to the bottom of the radiator through thebottom connection.

3. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a'water jacket,a radiator, a tank adapted to maintain a supply of liquid higher thanthe radiator, a passage open at both ends, having one end normallysubmerged in the water in the tank and the other endleading into the topof the radiator, an intermediate portion of the passage being above thelevel of the water in the tank and having a constricted openingcommunicating with the air space in the tank, a top connection betweenthe water jacket and tank, and a bottom connection between the waterjacket and radiator and tank.

4. A cooling system for internal combustion engines consisting of aradiator having a radiating member, a water jacket,'a partitionseparating the space over the radiating member from the top tank of theradiator, the tank extending downward to the lower part of the radiator,connections from the tank to the top and bottom of the jacket, astandpipe opening through said partition. a passage opening into the,water space of the tank near said partition. extending up to the top ofthe standpipe, and having perforations near the top of said standpipeabove the normal water level, and a water space at the bottom of theradiator connected to the tank.

5. A cooling system for internal combustion engines consisting of aradiator, a water jacket, a tank at the top of the radiator, top andbottom connections between the water jacket and the tank, a standpipe inthe tank opening downward into the radiator and having its upper endabove the normal water level in the tank, a passage hav ing its lowerend open and submerged in the water in the tank communicating with thetop end of the standpipe and having an opening near its top into the airspace in the tank.

6. A cooling system for internal combusfor tion engines consisting of aradiator, a water jacket, a tank at the top of the radiator, top andbottom connections between the water jacket and the tank, a standpipe inthe tank opening downward into the radiator and having its upper endabove the normal water level in the tank, a passage having its lower endopen and submerged in the water in the tank communicating with the topend of the standpipe and having an opening near its top into the airspace in the tank, the standpipe andv passage being convenientlyremovable.

In a cooling system for internal'combustion engines, including aradiator, a Water jacket, top and bottom connections, the

radiator including a bottom tank and a vent leading from the bottom tankto a point above the level of the water in the system, said ventincluding a reservoir.

8. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, including aradiator, a water jacket, top and bottom connections, the

, radiator including a bottom tank and a vent leading from the bottomtank to a point above the level of the water in the system, the ventbeing provided with a reservoir and a non-return valve above the waterlevel.

In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a radiator, a waterjacket. a tank at the top of the radiator, top and bottom connectionsfrom the jacket to the tank, a partition forming a space at the top ofthe radiator over the tubes, a standpipe extending through the partitionconnecting this space above the tubes with the space in the tank abovethe water level, the standpipe being 0 en at both ends, a pipe inclosing the stan pipe leading from a point below the water level where ithas an opening to the top of the standpipe and having a constrictedopening to the air space in the tank at or near the latter point, andmeans for leading water from the bottom of the radi ator and putting itinto circulation.

. 10. In a circulating system including a radiator, a water jacket, atank over the radiator, a standpipe being the only connecting passagebetween the tank and radiator, said passage having one opening beneaththe water in the tank, extending above the normal water level in thetank where it has a restricted inlet from the air or steam space in thetank, the other or discharge end of the passage opening into theradiator at the top and suitable connections leading from the Waterjacket to the tank and from the tank and radiator to the water jacket.

11. In a circulating system including a radiator, a Water jacket, a tankover the radiator, a standpipe being the only connecting passage betweenthe tank and radiator, said passage having one opening beneath the waterin the tank, extending above the nordiator, a Standpipe being the onlyconnecting passage between the tank and radiator, said passage havingone opening beneath the water in the tank, extending above the normalwater level in the tank where it has a restricted inlet from the air orsteam space in the tank, the other or discharge end of the passageopening into the radiator at the top and suitable connections leadingfrom the water jacket to.the tank and from the tank and radiator to thewater jacket, a nonreturn valve in the passage leading from the bottomof the radiator, and circulating means taking water from the bottom ofthe tank and radiator "and delivering it to the water jacket-.-

13. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a continuouscircuit for the fluid, including a jacket and a separator for separatingthe vapor from the fluid, a radiator having a core to act as acondenser, the separator forming the top tank of the radiator, adistributcr beneath the separator and on top of the radiator core, aconnection leading from the upper portion of the separator to thedistributer, and means for returning the condensed liquid to thecircuit.

14. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a continuouscircuit for the fluid, including a jacket and a separator for separatingthe vapor from thefluid, a radiator having a core to act as a condenser,

the separator being in the position occupied by the top tank in thepresent radiators, means leading vapor from theseparator to thecondenser, and means for passing the liquid continuously through thecircuitand returning the condensed liquid to the circuit.

15. In a cooling system for'internal combustion engines, a radiator, acontinuous circuit for cooling fluid including a jacket for thecombustion chamber of the engine, connections between the radiator andcircuit, means excluding the liquid from the radiator when the coolingmedium is below a predetermined tempcrature, and permitting it to enterthe radiator above that temperature.

16. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a radiator, acontinuous circuit for cooling fluid including a jacket for thecombustion chamber of the engine, connections between the radiator andcircuit, means excluding the liquid from the vfrom the radiator radiatorwhen the cooling medium is below a predetermined temperature andpermitting it to enter the radiator above that temperature, and meansfor removing liquid and introducing it into the circuit.

17. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a radiator, acontinuous circuit for cooling fluid including a jacket, means forseparating vapor from liquid, heat-controlled means excluding liquidfrom the radiator below a predetermined temperature and admitting liquidabove that temperature, means a for removing liquid from the radiatorand introducing'it into the circuit, and means for preventing back flowthrough said latter means fromv the circuit to the radiator.

18. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a radiator, acontinuous circuit for cooling liquid and means for separating vaporfrom the liquid, means normally excluding liquid from the radiatorconsisting of a heatcontrolled connection which admits vapor to andexcludes liquid from the radiator below a certain predeterminedtemperature and admits liquid above.

said temperature, means for removing liquid from a low point in theradiator and returning it to the circuit, and means for preventing backflow from the circuit through said means to the said point of theradiator.

19. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a radiator, acontinuous circuit for cooling liquid including a jacket and 'a vaporspace, a connection from the vapor space to the radiator, asmall orificecontrolling said connection, permitting the vapor formed below apredeter: mined critical temperature to pass freely and serving to backup the vapor above said predetermined temperature and increase thepressure on the liquid, a connection from beneath the surface of theliquid in the circuit from the circuit to the radiator whereby as thepressure on the liquid is increased, the liquid is caused to flowthrough the radiator, and means for removing liquid from a low point inthe radiator and returning it to the circuit.

20. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, a radiator, acontinuous circuit for cooling liquid, including a jacket and a vaporspace, a connection from the vapor space to the radiator, a smallorifice controlling said connection permitting the vapor formed below apredetermined critical temperature to pass freely and serving to back upthe vapor above said predetermined temperature and increase the pressureon the liquid, a connection from the liquid in the *ircuit totheradiator whereby, as the pressure on the liquid is increased, thelatter is caused to flow through the radiator.

21. In a.cooling system for internal combustion engines a radiator, acontinuous circuit for cooling liquid, including a jacket, a separatorhaving a vapor space, a connection from the vapor space to the radiator,a small orifice controlling said connection permitting the vapor formedbelow a predetermined critical temperature to pass freely and serving toback up the vapor above said predeterminedtemperature and increase thepressure on the liquid, a connectlon from the liquid in the circuit tothe radiator whereby, as the vapor pressure in the circuit on the liquidis increased, the latter is caused to flow through the radiator, meansfor removing liquid from a low point in the radiator and returning it tothe circuit, and means for preventing back flow of the liquid throughsaid last-named means.

Signed by me at Baltimore, Maryland, this 11 day of December, 1917.

V WELLINGTON W. MUIR.

Witnesses:

ZELLA KUHN, ALICE G. DONEGAN.

